It has often been claimed that the language we use to describe it, influences the outcomes of something. There are some people who appear to moan and groan perpetually – their lives are constantly disappointing. There are others who are… Continue reading
It was Burns (1978) and Bass (1985) who first defined the terms ‘transformational’ and ‘transactional’ leadership to describe managers who are strong on individual and group motivation and those who prefer to focus on goals, tasks and processes. Over the… Continue reading
There’s a quote attributed to the teachings of Atiśa Dīpaṃkara Śrījñāna, known generally as Atisa, one of the reformers of Buddhism from around 1000AD. It goes; “The greatest wisdom is seeing through appearances.” I’ve not heard it said much recently,… Continue reading
A while back I started collecting examples of business-speak that I found alarming. Some simply seemed to set out to confuse. Others were intended to make the speaker seem clever – usually for their own benefit. But the worst examples… Continue reading
Alcoholics in crisis provoke strong responses among the people around them. Some feel great sadness and sympathy for the individual; others are angered that they could have allowed themselves to get into this condition; and still more are fearful, as… Continue reading
One of a generation of motivational speakers, Zig Ziglar, died last week at the age of 86. When I began to perform myself in the late 1980s, it was often tapes by Ziglar that I would listen to as I… Continue reading
“I never know quite how to introduce myself…” “People never seem prepared to listen to me when it’s my turn to explain what I do…” “Well, I’m just one of those boring…” “I come away thinking that they haven’t really… Continue reading
When exploring the uniqueness of a particular job or assignment, HR professionals often break it down into the knowledge, skills and attitudes thought necessary to fulfill it. In a recent article based on a paper I gave at the at… Continue reading
This month, I’m involved in helping run a summer school in Oxford, the Adaptation Academy, for senior staff involved in climate adaptation projects. My strand embraces the human dimension – self-development, leadership, politics, and communication. Following a leadership tour of… Continue reading
I know I’m not qualified to comment really, but I do find some parents attitude to parenting quite bizarre… We had a coffee in Abingdon marketplace the other weekend. A couple of parents arrived with one infant in stroller and… Continue reading
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